Computers and gaming systems provide a myriad of entertainment functions including gaming and interpersonal communication. Modern computer games often provide sophisticated multimedia environments involving 3-D graphics and sound to gamers and may allow multiplayer interaction over a network such as the Internet. Gaming enthusiasts typically play computer games on a platform, which may be, for example, a personal computer or dedicated gaming consoles such as the Xbox® brand Video Game Console manufactured by Microsoft Corporation.
As many games allow for or are embellished in a multiplayer environment, it is common for many gamers to establish relationships with other gamers who may share similar interests or preferences. Gamers may request to join various games that are being played by other gamers. Typically this involves sending a request or invitation to a player or players in a game that the gamer desires to join and waiting for an acceptance. Once a player joins a first multiplayer game, if the player wishes to join a second multiplayer game, the player would be required to quit the first game, return to a user interface allowing the user to indicate preference for joining the second game (e.g., a game lobby) and then send a request to join the second game.
Social networking application have also become quite popular destinations for users of the Internet and World-Wide-Web. Social networking sites typically allow users to establish “friends” or “buddies” and provide various communication services to allow friends to communicate and/or interact via the Internet.
However, the services of social networking sites and game play consoles are disjoint. Game play consoles and their associated software and services provide little ability for encouraging social networking type interaction and the associated conveniences of this functionality. Typically, a gamer seeking a multiplayer gaming session may start a game on a gaming console and then initiate a series of instructions to the console to connect, for example via a network, to a game server. The user may then be presented via the game server with a virtual “lobby”, where the gamer may view various games in progress or about to commence and particular names of gamers currently involved in those games. The user may then elect to join a particular game that is soon about to commence or currently in progress and thereby participate in a multiplayer game session with participants of his or her choosing.
Conventional scenarios and systems such as that described present a number of inconveniences and inefficiencies to participants seeking a multiplayer session. A gamer seeking to participate in a session with one or more particular users may be faced with the prospect of navigating through many menus in order to find the particular gamers he or she is interested in. It is quite possible that the gamer may be unable to find particular gamers he or she is interested in. In addition, once game play has commenced, a gamer will be immersed in the game and is not provided with a mechanism to track the current status of other gamers or otherwise remain in communication with them outside the confines of the particular game he or she is playing. Furthermore, gamers do not have access to an active resource that will initiate introductions to other gamers sharing their interests or preferences.
Based upon the foregoing, there is a clear need for seamless integration of social networking types of services within the software and services provided by gaming systems in a multiplayer environment.